India
offers tremendous business opportunities with its young and aspiring
population, its rapidly growing middle class, its diversity and rich cultural
heritage. All these aspects were dynamically explored and highlighted during a
recent event-filled India Unlimited week in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.
According
to Scania global news, India Unlimited was organised by the Embassy of India to
Sweden with Scania as the primary sponsor. Scania thereby manifests its firm
commitment to India, having since last year established a production unit for
trucks and buses near Bangalore, said the statement from Scania. This is
Scania’s first industrial investment in Asia.
“We
have established long and lasting operations in India because of the market
size and potential,” says Anders Grundströmer, Managing Director of Scania
India, adding that, “With a market for heavy trucks and buses as large as the
European, we are convinced that India will grow to be one of our largest
markets.”
Scania’s
strategy is to establish a new niche in the market for premium trucks and buses
by introducing the concept of total operating expenditure, measured in
passenger kilometre, tonne per kilometre and cost per cubic metre. “We’re not
in India to compete with the domestic brands but to introduce superior trucks
and buses in terms of performance that offer operators better overall economy,”
he says.
In
starting production India, Scania has the aim to the greatest extent source
components from local manufacturers, without jeopardising its leading quality.
To that end, Scania is already forging contacts with highly skilled suppliers.
“The supplier base is both competitive and efficient and has rapidly matched
our global quality standards. For a latecomer to the Indian market, that has
been a positive surprise, ” he says.
Scania
recognises that there are a host of challenges that need to be overcome to
accelerate economic growth. Yet, the hundreds of participants in India
Unlimited agreed that the opportunities are boundless.
Source: Scania, Sweden / Picture of Anders
Grundströmer, Managing Director of Scania India with Banashri Bose Harrison
Indian Ambassador to Sweden and Latvia